


Babe for the Weekend

by cherrypiequeequeg



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Bisexual Dana Scully, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, High School, I mean that's what they are anyway, School Reunion, Weddings, mentions of Dana Scully/others
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28456347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrypiequeequeg/pseuds/cherrypiequeequeg
Summary: When an old friend from high school invites her to her wedding and she brings Mulder along as her plus one, Scully reflects on her life, her place in the world, how much she has changed and what she really wants. Set towards the end of season 6, somewhere between Arcadia and The Unnatural.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 15
Kudos: 110





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea and wanted to give it to you as a little New Year's gift, celebrating not only the end of this hellhole of a year but also the 21st anniversary of their first on screen kiss (it's been so long can you believe...I feel old lol).  
> Title is from the Taylor Swift song “‘tis the damn season” (what can i say, evermore has taken over my life).  
> The song that is mentioned, Motorway to Roswell by Pixies, is very good and I can recommend it and the whole album it is on. The lyrics are actually about aliens and I just Know Mulder would eat that shit up. 
> 
> Last but not least, I want to thank my betas Róisín (@hexlesbian on twitter) and Lil (@catboyliam on twitter). Without you guys this little story would be a wreck. 
> 
> Also, if you enjoy my content feel free to follow me on twitter (@ssoftcurrents) or tumblr (volahre.tumblr.com)!  
> And now, sit back and enjoy :)

They took the late afternoon plane on Friday, a few hours after they’d said their goodbyes to each other at work. Most of her bag was already packed, but she had thrown in her last few necessities. She changed from her uncomfortable work clothes into a t-shirt and jeans - she wanted to rest on the plane. It was the weekend, after all, and there was nobody left to impress today, aside from Mulder. She scoffed at herself inwardly - she didn’t need to impress him. Not in... that way, at least. No, with Mulder it was different. Their trust ran deeper than the one she had felt for anyone else outside of her family. He was her best friend; he had seen her at her most uncomposed countless times.  
Brushing the thoughts of Mulder aside, she glanced at her watch and realized she was running short on time. She performed a quick idiot check on her bag before touching up her lipstick and glancing outside, noticing his car. She lived close to the airport, and it was a bonus to save up on the astronomical parking fees there, especially when the Bureau wasn’t footing the bill.  
“You ready?” Mulder smiled at her, watching as she arranged her bag and coat on the backseat. “Guess so,” she replied casually, stretching her arms and shoulders. Her mountains of paperwork had left her with little time to relax after two consecutive eight hour days behind a desk, and her joints felt as stiff as cement. She’d take field work over paperwork any day. Scary and dangerous as it was, and as frustrating as Mulder passionately explaining himself to her could be, at least she got to run around and move her limbs instead of being stuck in a cramped little room.  
Alternative rock blared from the car radio’s tinny old speakers as they drove. “You should fix your car radio,” she said, wrinkling her nose and looking over at him. He was concentrating on the road, but his outfit was casual - jeans and a dark grey crew neck, exposed by his open bomber jacket. It was just tight enough to remind her how much of a gym rat he was outside office hours.  
“Why, Scully?” he said, playfully, not taking his eyes off the stretch of road. “I can still understand everything perfectly.”  
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, is that so?”  
“Yeah, I could tell you every song that they’re playing. Like this, for example,” He nodded at the radio, keeping his hands on the wheel, “Motorway to Roswell by Pixies. 1991 - a favourite.”  
“Roswell, huh?” she chuckled. “I can imagine that that must be a favourite of yours.”  
“Someone knows her way around America’s extraterrestrial history, I see,” he grinned.  
“Shut up, Mulder.” She looked out the window, hiding her smile. “I work with you, that’s all.”  
Nerves washed over her as they made their way through the busy airport proceedings, and as much as she tried to blame it on the chilly April afternoon, she knew the truth. She hadn’t seen any of the wedding guests in years, and had lost contact with most of them. She’d accepted the invitation from the anxiety she felt at still being unmarried at thirty - not that there was anything wrong with that. She invited Mulder as her plus-one, and he agreed.  
“I’m coming with a friend,” she’d told Dorothy over the phone.  
Her schoolmate made a little noise of curiosity. “Male or female?”  
Scully had bristled at the question. She didn’t know if the people she’d shared highschool with knew about her bisexuality, but that wasn’t what bothered her. It was… some other feeling, one that was hard to pinpoint. Or think about.  
“Hey, Scully. Got the tickets?” Mulder’s voice brought her back to the tranquil chaos of the airport.  
“Oh, uh, yeah. Wait.” She squatted down to their luggage and fished out two pieces of paper, handing the one marked MULDER, FOX W. to him.  
“Window seat,” he said with a smile. “Thank you, Scully”  
“We can swap if you want to,” she replied casually. “I just thought with a little bit of extra space, you’d have more room for your…” She gestured vaguely at his legs while making a grimace.  
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” he replied playfully, leaning closer to her. “Do you not like my strong, manly legs? Or do you just need to compensate for your own height? Don’t feel bad about that, Scully - not everyone can be blessed by nature.”  
She chuckled and swiped him with her ticket. “Careful, or you’ll be more than glad to be blessed by nature.”  
The problem was, he wasn’t even wrong. For all his geekiness, Mulder had hit the genetic lottery. His seemingly effortless athletic physique, his thick dark hair, the dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, the colour of his eyes that she had debated during more lonely nights than she’d like to admit, and that she noticed sparkled when he looked at her lately… yes, _blessed by nature_ was correct.


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again a huge thank you to Róisín and Lil for bearing with a non native speaker's attempt at writing about characters you don't even care about. I owe you guys so much with this little story, you have no idea.
> 
> While writing this chapter I listened to Suzanne Vega's self titled album as well as her album "Solitude Standing", feel free to listen to her music while reading! :) I feel like it's quite fitting for these characters and their relationship.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

She insisted on two bedrooms when booking the motel (“So he is just a friend, I see?” Dorothy had said, and Scully chose to ignore the snide undertone to her voice), but when they arrived, she felt oddly happy about the door separating their rooms. They could do something together this evening, she thought. She didn’t want to abandon Mulder in a place where he didn’t know anyone to talk to or anything to do, after all.

Mulder insisted on going for a run after they’d finished unpacking. She couldn’t blame him - the plane seat had been rather uncomfortable for standard class and hadn’t helped her office-related pains. She declined to join him, but suggested that he looked for places to eat while running. As far as she knew, nothing had been planned for a pre-wedding celebration, even though she felt something would be happening between the closer circles of Dorothy’s friends. Last time she’d been part of any circle was at her own brother’s wedding, which served as an embarrassing reminder of how isolated she was now. If someone asked her how many friends she had, she wouldn’t have known what to say. Was there even a difference anymore between people she befriended and people she worked with? She’d even stopped celebrating her birthday, not seeing the point in it anymore. Thirty-five had announced its arrival a few weeks ago with cards in the mail filled with ten and twenty dollar bills. Aside from a long phone call with her mother and Bill, she’d treated herself to a new silk pyjama set and an evening bath before watching a chick flick on TV. Hardly a grand social event.

“You know, Mulder,” she said an hour later across from him at the diner table, “you barely ever remember my birthday.”

Mulder was freshly showered, the wind blowing the scent of his shampoo over to her. Northern California was a swamp compared to DC at this time of the year, and despite being so close to the coast, they could sit outside without jackets. She mentally thanked the weather as her eyes glided over his strong biceps, hugged tightly by the sleeves of his t-shirt.

“Scully, can I ask you a question?” he said, completely ignoring her remark.

“Sure,” she replied flippantly, snapping her gaze back to his face, straightening her back on the simple chair.

“It’s so warm here already, and forgive me if this sounds rude… but it’s honestly making me wonder how you survived California summers throughout your childhood and teen years…you know, with you being so pale and all.” He smiled, but was that a hint of shyness she could detect on his face?

“It’s not rude,” she assured him. “Although I’m not sure if you should be the one making remarks about my _whiteness_ , Mr. Massachusetts Old Money Mulder.”

He laughed. There were those dimples. “Yeah, you’re right. But really, I’ve never seen you with a sunburn, and we’ve known each other for over six years now. How do you do it, Dana Scully?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I spend a lot of money on sunscreen, I guess. And hey.” She bent forward conspiratorially, leaning her elbows against the table, looking him directly in the eyes. “Maybe I’m also blessed by nature.”

She suddenly grabbed one of the fries from his plate and shoved it into her mouth before he could react. Across the table from her, he laughed, but she could detect something in his eyes, something she could not quite place. They shone in the glow of the evening, their gorgeous colour remaining another mystery she hadn’t yet solved. They’d followed the stolen French fry and were now resting on her full lips. It made her feel warm, but she didn’t allow herself to focus on it.

“Why did you bring me here?” Mulder asked suddenly, breaking their companionable silence.

“What do you mean?” she replied, swallowing the fry.

“You brought me along to an event unrelated to work in a strange place with strange people. Surely there’s a reason? Has a werewolf been hunting the people of this town and you just didn’t say, or…?” His voice trailed off.

She blinked, wording her reply carefully. “Are you upset about it?”

“No, should I be?” He looked at her again.

She took a sip from her bottle of beer and looked up at the colourful lights strung up above the tables.

“I don’t know, really,” she finally let out with a sigh. “I guess I’ve started to feel bad about turning up to all these weddings alone. And I haven’t spoken to... let alone seen these people in years. I guess I was scared that I wouldn’t have anyone to talk to.” Her eyes wandered back down, wandering to the sidewalk instead of him. “Don’t you ever feel weird about going to weddings alone in your thirties?”

This wasn’t something they’d ever spoke about before, and the unfamiliarity suddenly hit her. They’d gotten so used to flying across the country, sleeping in crappy motels, and eating in random diners that doing this in a personal setting didn’t feel unusual. She was half expecting in the back of her mind to get an alert from the local Sheriff's office telling them that a murder had took place, or a suspect had broken free, or something plain odd had happened. But there was nothing here other than the two of them and about a hundred people she’d gone to high school with. The strange feeling would probably settle in more tomorrow, like a hangover.

“I mostly don’t go to weddings full stop,” Mulder replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Not the high school ones, anyway.” She finally looked back at him and their eyes met straight-on. She hadn’t taken him as the type to turn down a wedding - she assumed his natural curiosity would get the better of him. But… it made sense, in a weird way. In a very special, unique, unapologetic Fox Mulder way.She took a breath. “Have you ever thought about getting married?”

“Don’t know,” he said, and she felt those goosebumps again. “Have I found the right person yet?”


	3. chapter three

Scully wanted to send thank you notes to her past self for deciding to fly a day early. Used to her weekday work rhythm, she woke up at 7 and after a hot shower – bless this motel and their working boiler, she thought as the warm water ran down her shoulders – she let her hair air dry while reading the next chapter of the book she had started on the plane before styling it. The reception would start at 11, and afterwards there would be a buffet, so she debated whether getting breakfast beforehand was really necessary. Putting on some quick makeup she knocked on the adjoining door between her and Mulder’s bedroom.

“Come in”, she heard his voice from the other side.

He was still in his boxers and the tee shirt from yesterday when she came in. “Good morning”, she said and leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed.

“Morning, Scully”, he answered, shaking out his pillow and blanket.

Catching herself looking at his dishevelled hair for a little too long, she quickly opened her mouth to speak. “I was wondering if you were interested in breakfast today?”

His face lit up and he took a step towards her, but she knew him well, detecting the playfully sarcastic nature of his act. “Oh, you’re inviting me? How very kind of you!”

She laughed, looking down at her feet. Had she made this awkward already? “No, Mulder, I just wanted to ask if you thought it was going to be worth it. We ate dinner so late yesterday and I’m not really hungry right now, and looking at the schedule for the celebration, we’re going to get lunch soon anyway.”

Her eyes went back to him, locking their eyes again as she had done the evening before over their respective plates of chicken salad and fries.

“I’m not that hungry either”, he said. “How about I get dressed and we just go for a little walk?”

She smiled at him, the sun peaking in from the window creating strange shadows on his face. “That sounds like a good idea…I could use some coffee though.”

“Deal”, he said, grabbing a pair of jeans from his overnight bag.

The area was hilly, with sand joining the drying grass beneath the asphalt the closer you got to the beach. Scully was glad to have packed flats along with the heels she planned to wear for the reception.

“Just tell me one thing”, Mulder said as they were sitting on a bench overlooking the promenade, each holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee and the wind blowing her hair into her face (She made a mental note to get back to the motel on time, turning up to the wedding with thick strands sticking from her head to all sides was not a good look).

“Go ahead” Scully wondered if they were sitting closer than usual or if it was the wind blowing his familiar scent over to her.

“How many of the people we’re going to meet today have you been involved with?”

She laughed, thinking about her younger self, wearing braces until she was 17 and always being a little socially awkward, especially compared to Melissa. “Mulder, I don’t know what you think of me, but I can tell you I was not exactly popular in high school”

“That doesn’t answer my question”, he said, grabbing a sunflower seed from his pocket - was that pocket even big enough to hold a bag? - and cracking its little grey shell between his teeth.

She sighed. “There was one guy, Colin, we had chemistry together. He would ask me to help him with his homework, invited me over to his place and all that, and I, naïve and sixteen as I was, thought he was being for real” it sounded so stupid in retrospect.

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Nothing. He was not my type.” She crossed her legs, wondering what her type even was. Tall, dark hair, strong arms, dimples, an unusual interest in the supernatural? Feeling blood rush to her cheeks, she quickly took a sip from her cup hoping her arm would conceal the obvious redness creeping up her face.

“What, are you blushing?”, Mulder grinned softly.

“No I’m not!”, she answered way too quickly. “Anyway it’s not like that. There was another guy, towards the end, I guess. Marcus, his name was. He was really into music, would play me songs by Joy Division on his guitar.”

“A real charmer, I see”

She grimaced, swallowing the last bit of her coffee. “Wasn’t Ian Curtis kind of a jerk though? Anyway” she looked at him, taking a deep breath. “Marcus went on to study psychology if I’m not mistaken. So you two are at least going to have something to talk about in case you meet today.”

Was that weird?, she thought to herself. Implying her past crush and her current- he was not her crush, she reminded herself. Why was she even using this word? Did women have crushes past thirty? Or did you just go on dates and decide to call yourself an item after a certain amount of time? She had been out of the dating game for way too long. Maybe if she started going out with more people again, she would stop having daydreams about people whose relationship with her was supposed to be platonic at most. Outside of high school, college or academy contexts, where would you even meet your crush? _At work_ , a voice inside her head said. Massaging her temples, she realized her thoughts kept spiralling back to one thing, the one thing she had permitted herself access to six years ago.

“Hey”, she heard Mulder say next to her, the source of his soft baritone sounding much closer to her than before. “Are you alright?”

She took a deep breath and sat up straight on the bench as he lay his arm around her, his thumb gently caressing her shoulder. Letting herself sink into his touch, she shook her head. “It’s just weird, the thought of meeting all these people again”, she half lied.

“Shhh, that’s okay”, he said. Not interrupting his movement on her shoulder, he used his other arm to reach over her lap and took her left hand in his right one. After a quick look at her watch, he suggested they go back to the motel and she nodded.

With the help of what felt like almost an entire can of hairspray she got her hair back in place, hoping it would stay over the day, before putting on her dress.

She had chosen a dark brown velvet dress she had found at a thrift shop. It was not particularly revealing, the idea of people who had mostly looked down on her back in the day seeing her exposed shoulders or deep cleavage had seemed intriguing at first, but given a second thought, she realized that it would probably make her uncomfortable in the long run. After putting on a pearl necklace and matching earrings, she felt elegant nonetheless. Dropping her lipstick, her perfume, and her cell phone in her purse, she walked over to Mulder’s door.

As he opened the door, his eyes wandered down her body and his face changed, it was somewhere between a child who was just given his first candy cotton of the year and something darker, that she almost felt he was trying to hide. Had she ever seen him wear this suit before? As weird and clumsy as this man could be, he definitely had his moments. He had styled his hair, the black suit fit him perfectly, complimenting his body in all the right places, and his cologne was just a little stronger than before. Not pungent, but rather…enticing. She stepped a little closer.

“Hi”, he smiled down at her. Was it an illusion, or were his eyes lingering a little longer on her lips than usual?

“We match”, she grinned, lifting her arm to gently touch the brown velvet of his bow tie.

“Yes, we do”, his smile grew even brighter. There was satisfaction now, in his expression, taking over the excitement from before.

She cleared her throat. “We should get going”, she said, turning her face towards the entrance door as if to point at it with her nose.

The venue was only a 15-minute walk away, which they spent in silence, her heart beating loudly against the inside of her chest. Not knowing which explanation she preferred between seeing her old classmates again and Mulder and her walking with their arms linked, she chose to ignore it. This was a completely platonic relationship, mind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scully keeps daydreaming about Mulder in this one right before calling their relationship platonic. Whatever you say girl…. meanwhile I’m taking bets about which bed they’re going to share that night.  
> Huge thank you to immy (@bbyskeptic on twitter) for betaing this chapter!  
> It's my birthday tomorrow (feb 8) so feel free to humour me with kuddos and comments <3 I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Last but not least, this is the dress she is wearing (just picture gillian in this...she would look so beautiful) https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-1996-ready-to-wear/chanel/slideshow/collection#148


	4. chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for mild ableism in this chapter!  
> thank you to immy (@bbyskeptic on twitter, @stel_gibs on here) for the beta <3

Between the vineyards lay a small cottage with a large meadow which Dorothy and Robert had chosen to be the location for their celebration. The ceremony had gone smoothly, a teenage girl who turned out to be not only Robert’s niece but also a piano virtuoso contributed to the celebratory atmosphere with pieces by Handel and Bach.

“Champagne, juice, or mixed?”, one of the waitresses asked Scully once she had gotten up from her chair and straightened her dress. Smiling, she thanked the waitress and took one of the champagne glasses while waiting for Mulder to follow her. “To the newlyweds?” she asked once they stood facing each other. “And to love”, Mulder answered, looking straight into her eyes with an expression she could not quite read. It was new, something she had only seen appearing on his face recently.

“And how do you know Dorothy and Robert?”, an old familiar voice appeared behind Scully as she was waiting for the buffet. She turned around and saw Marcus speaking to Mulder. Great. She took a deep breath. “He’s with me”, she said and put on a smile, looking at the face of the man she once, though much younger, more inexperienced, and certainly more naïve had called the love of her life.

“Oh, Dana!” Marcus laughed. “It’s good to see you”.

She kept on the smile. “It’s good to see you too.” This really was strange, to say the least. What was she even supposed to say? Gesturing behind Marcus, she cleared her throat. “Have you…come here with anybody?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied, a particular glow appeared on his face. “Wife and two kids, they’re waiting at our table. I can introduce you later if you want”.

She nodded. “I’m sure we’ll find each other again.”

“But tell me about your company, Dana”, Marcus said before looking at Mulder. “Marcus Watson”

Mulder took Marcus’ extended hand. “Fox Mulder. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Fox”, Marcus said. “I see you guys are not married yet?”

“No!”, Scully said, way too abruptly. Trying to conceal it with a laugh, she continued, ignoring the look Mulder gave her. “No, we’re not married.”

“I see”, Marcus smiled. “Where did you guys meet, if I may ask?”

“Oh, we met- “, Mulder started, but Scully interrupted him. “We work together at the FBI”.

“The FBI?”, Marcus appeared a little startled. “Last time I checked, I heard you went off to med school.”

Scully let out a small sigh. “I did, but I ended up in forensic science. But he,” she gestured at Mulder, “has a degree in psychology. Didn’t you do that too, Marcus? How’s it going with that?”

“Well, it’s going amazing, if you ask me! Got myself a practice set up and together with a few colleagues we’re focusing on dysfunctional families. But you, FBI, huh?”, Marcus looked at Mulder, who shrugged with one hand in his pocket.

“Well, I just hope I can help people find closure. And some minds are hard to get into, frankly. And sometimes it’s not even the minds as much as something greater than what could be limited to just one person.”

Scully looked at Mulder, surprised he had not brought up the specifics of what they did. “Mulder and I, we work together on a division called the X-Files.”, she said. “Cases that have been deemed unsolvable.”

“And you solve them?”, Marcus asked.

“Well, I’d like to think so”, Scully said, looking at the floor.

“Often times it’s about perspective,” Mulder said. “Some might appear unsolvable if you look at them from a traditional standpoint, but I like to think that if you go a little outside the box and look at them with an open mind you might actually find out the truth.”

“Ah, I get you, buddy”, Marcus said. “I have to deal with some real monsters as well, if you know what I mean!”, he laughed.

Scully frowned as Mulder laughed, though appearing highly uncomfortable. “Well, I suppose that’s different…”

“Come on, Mulder.”, she said, pulling him by his arm. “Buffet’s ready.”

They were seated across from each other at the end of a table full of people she didn’t know, which didn’t bother her much as she hoped it would spare her of more awkward conversations.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think he would be like this”, Scully said later as they were eating their dessert.

“Hey it’s fine, Scully”, he said, grinning. “Sometimes your adolescent crushes grow up to become real monsters”.

She chuckled at his attempt to imitate Marcus. “Shut up, Mulder.”

“No”, he said, causing her to throw a confusing grin at him.

“You’ve got pudding on your face, wait”, he grabbed his napkin, and before she could say anything, he leaned over the table and carefully cleaned up the edge of her mouth. Remembering that she had to breathe, she took in a sharp inhale and felt a blush appearing on her face again. In the spot where his fingers had almost touched her, so close to her mouth, she felt a slight tingle.

“Thank you”, she said, hoping he would not question her blushing after him touching her. He had been invading her personal space for years and she had gotten away with barely blushing at most. So why was this happening now?

“I need to get some air”, she said quietly after finishing her dessert and got up, grabbing her purse.

“You okay?”, Mulder had gotten up almost as fast, his eyes filled with concern as they found hers.

“Yeah, I just need to get away from all the people for a bit”, she said, quickly looking away.

Her heels clicked on the asphalt as she walked down the little street that had led them to the location. After about two minutes, she found a bench with a view overlooking the hills. If she stayed for a few hours, she might be able to watch the sun go down from here, judging by the way it stood now.

Taking a deep breath, she took off her shoes and relaxed her back against the wood. The whole idea seemed like a mistake. Coming here after years of barely keeping in contact and therefore not knowing how to talk to anybody, bringing Mulder and putting him in an even more awkward situation than hers, it was like she had wanted to please people but had ended up just being selfish. _Selfish, Dana_. Her entire life, her entire career she had tried not to be selfish, always acted in the favour of others. But now her feelings, her fear had gotten in the way. _Selfish._

She worried about Mulder. What was she even going to tell him? Sorry I’m behaving so weirdly; I just saw a guy I had a crush on almost 20 years ago and it made me realize that – but what had it made her realize? She had not come to any conclusion as to why the situation had felt so incredibly awkward, not just because of Marcus, but because of the combination of Marcus and Mulder. Apart from….no, definitely not. And this was certainly the worst place to consider the matters of her own heart. This was a celebration of love, but not hers.

Love. She recalled that moment in the hospital a few months earlier, when they were working in interior terrorism and Mulder had gone on a reckless spree diving right into the Atlantic Ocean, ending up drugged and exhausted. He had told her he loved her then, and she had brushed it off as a side effect of the drugs. But later, on her way home, she had recalled the moment with a particular sting in her stomach.

“Here you are”.

She looked up and saw the man in question standing there, his eyes – what colour were they now? – glistening in the light of the warm Californian sun.

“Oh hey”, she said quietly.

“The seat next to you taken?”, he said in his usual sarcastic tone but she couldn’t help noticing that there was also an obvious softness to his voice.

She chuckled. “Sit down if you want to,” she said, taking her purse so he had the space to sit.

“You wanna talk?”, he asked once he had sat down, putting his arm across the backrest behind her.

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “It’s just all so much…so much more than I expected. All the old feelings that never really went anywhere, so much left unresolved, washed out by years of growing apart.”

He nodded, that unreadable expression on his face again. “I’m sorry if this is too personal, but do you still like him?”

“No!”, she said just as quickly as she had earlier, almost as if she was speaking out of reflex. She despised herself. “No”, she said again, with a slight smile. “I think we really have grown into two completely different people with completely different lives. Plus, he seems happily married and has kids”, she sighed, realizing that this was another aspect in which she could never be quite like those people.

“Hey, shhh, it’s alright,” Mulder said, his hand gently rubbing her shoulder in small motions. As if her brain didn’t already feel like it had melted all sense of rational thought away, the electric signals he was sending through her body with his touch was doing the rest. Slowly, she leaned into his embrace and looked up at him. “I’m so sorry, Mulder.”

“For what?”, he said quietly. His arm had followed her and was now gently stroking her upper arm.

“For making you go through this crap”, she laughed. “You don’t know anybody, which arguably puts you in an even more awkward situation than me, and now I’m running away, and it just feels like I am making this whole thing about myself.”

“Now I’m gonna have to stop you right there, Scully,” he said, “you are not making this about yourself. In fact, I don’t think that many people even noticed you leaving. And even if they did, they probably think you just got a phone call or something. And hey,” he continued after a little pause, “I really don’t mind being here with you. Trust me. I’d rather do this with you than have you go through this on your own.”

“Mulder” she said and shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I hope I can take this as a compliment?”, he said, and she could feel him smile against her hair.

“Anyways, what I wanted to say…” he continued, “Weddings don’t have to be perfect, Scully, and it’s okay if you need some air sometimes. But as I was leaving, they were setting up the dancefloor, so I thought I’d let you know.”

She sat up and smiled at him. “Thank you.”


	5. chapter five

Back at the venue, Scully realized how much colder it had gotten since she had left. The sun was still tickling her arms, but the warm beams were now joined by stronger breezes that reminded her that even in California, there were still a few weeks to go until summer would be in full swing.

There was music coming from inside the larger farm house where the buffet had been and she could see more and more people rushing there. Her own body didn’t quite follow the underlying desire to lose herself in the music however, as she still felt a certain stiffness in her shoulders.

The conversation with Mulder had helped, but Scully didn’t feel quite ready enough to throw herself onto the dancefloor.

“Mulder I’m not sure I want to dance right now,” she said quietly after they entered the gate to the farm area again. “can we just stay outside for a bit?”

“Sure,” he said and smiled ahead. “I’ve heard the local wine they serve here is really good”

“Thank you,” she said, walking towards the bar to get each of them a glass.

“So, what now?” he said after she came back to him sitting at the table where they had lunch before.

“How good are you at dancing?” she asked once she came back, trying to sound casual as she handed him his glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

“I thought you didn’t want to dance?” he smiled.

“Well I can still ask, can I?”

“Only if I get to ask you a question back”

She grinned. “What is this, Mulder? Truth or dare?”

His face remained serious albeit the playful tone in his voice. “If you want it to be”

She looked at him. “So?”

He took a deep breath. “I’d say I’m a good dancer, or at least I’d like to think so. My mother made me take dancing classes and go to cotillions and all that jazz when I was a teenager. I kind of hated it but the skill does come in handy when you get older” He smiled.

Scully tried really hard not to think about how many women he might have already charmed by dancing with them. It was so unlike him, but also not really – he was not the type to go to many fancy events, skipping even the work Christmas and New Year’s parties unless she specifically asked him to come after Skinner had specifically asked them. They barely danced at those events though, which thinking about it now filled her with – was that regret? Quickly, she took a sip from her glass of wine. She needed to be a little more intoxicated if she was to go anywhere from here.

“Does that answer your question?” Mulder asked.

She crossed one leg over the other and shifted in her chair so that her angle made her face him more naturally. “Yes,” she said. “Your turn now.”

“Okay Scully,” he grinned, but his eyes displayed undertones of insecurity. “Who was your first kiss?”

She giggled. “Hey, I am not going to tell you about that!” she said, before taking another sip.

“Why not?” he said with a now much smugger grin on his face. He was now sitting with his elbows on the table, facing her.

“You have seen him here before. That is all I will tell you.”

“Oh wow, Scully,” he laughed, “a mystery man.”

She giggled again. “Shut up.”

“So it was a he, huh?” he persisted.

She knew he didn’t mean it in an inappropriate way, but this was still an unfamiliar feeling. With all the hours they spent together and all the topics they had covered in their conversations, they barely ever seemed to talk about dating, much less about sexual orientation. She had mentioned to Mulder once that she had dated a woman in college, but the conversation had not developed much further than that.

“Who was yours?” she asked instead of answering his question.

“So this is a question game now?” he chuckled playfully.

“Maybe,” she looked at the table. “But tell me. Who was the lucky one?”

He took a deep breath. “Her name was Laura. We were both fifteen.”

She looked him in the eyes, surprised by his answer. “Laura? Like Laura Petrie?”

He laughed. “What is wrong with that Scully?”

She joined his laughter. “So you named my undercover persona after a girl you kissed as a teenager?”

“Yes,” he replied with a shy but proud grin. “And what about it?”

“Nothing,” she said, taking her last sip from her glass. She had not realized how much time had passed, but it was almost dark outside now and she was feeling much more at ease than before.

“So I guess it’s my turn now to ask a question,” Mulder said.

“No,” she replied, looking him in the eyes. “I choose dare.”

“Okay then, Scully,” he said while she heard _Time After Time_ coming from inside the building. “I dare you to tell me what you’re thinking about right now.”

Focusing her mind back on him again, she could swear she had seen his glance drift over her lips again.

“I’m thinking about how much I liked that song when it came out,” she started and looked down. “And how I always dreamed of dancing to it with the love of my life,” she continued and laughed. “But whatever. It’s kind of stupid, isn’t it.”

“No,” he said, laying his hand on her back and looking at her earnestly. “I don’t think that’s stupid. We all have fantasies like that.”

She shook her head. “Maybe, but it’s just so weird to think about how that used to be my biggest concern, and then look at everything that has happened to me since! I mean I could have never known, but still, it does seem strange.”

“Hmm.” he nodded and looked at her pensively. She studied his face, once again trying to decide what colour his eyes were. Under the darkened sky they looked green, with an obvious touch of grey, joined by a reflection of the blue from above. It was not like she had never been attracted to him – hell, she was sure she would say yes if he ever asked her to be anything more than a work partner and a friend. But somehow it was so comfortable to dance around that, never act on what was undeniably there.

“Did you do it?” he asked into the silence that had fallen between them.

“What do you mean?” she asked back.

“Dance,” he replied. “To the song, I mean. With the love of your life.”

She laughed. “Well, I did dance to it. If that person was the love of my life is questionable.”

He chuckled, and then looked at her, something sparkling in his eyes. “If we hurry up, we can still catch the rest of the song.”

“Sure,” she smiled and got up, grabbing her purse with one hand, taking his hand with the other.

When they arrived inside, she pulled the strap of her purse over her shoulder and looked at him.

He smiled. “May I?”

She took a deep breath and nodded, following him onto the dancefloor. For a few measures they danced facing each other, occasionally grabbing each other’s hand, but somehow, when Cyndi Lauper started belting out the chorus for the last time, they had made it closer to each other. Carefully, she reached over his shoulder and around his neck with one hand while noticing that his arms were reaching low around her waist, his hands placed on her lower back.

“Is this okay?” his voice sounded nervous, but she could hear him smile even without looking at him.

“More than okay,” she relaxed into his embrace and lay her hand next to her head on his firm chest.

“Thank you,” she said into the silence while they were slowly swaying across the dancefloor to the first notes of Patti Smith’s _Because the Night_.

“For what?” he chuckled into the top of her head.

“For all of this.” She spoke.

“No need to thank me”, she heard his muffled voice from directly above. She pulled back a little and looked up at him. His cheeks and lips were pursed into a smile and his eyes were glowing with that same expression as earlier, but this time she realized that she could probably very well detect what it stood for, the only thing keeping her from it was fear. But she was feeling brave tonight. Slowly but surely, she let her hand wander upward and carefully let it lay on his cheek, gently rubbing it with her thumb. Standing like that for a few moments that endured for what felt like either seconds or eternity, she felt a wide smile creep up on her face. Was she even breathing anymore?

Suddenly his eyes pulled away and seemed to follow a motion in the room.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“They’re bringing those desserts back out, leftovers I’m guessing. You still got room for one?” he grinned.

She nodded and swallowed, not quite processing the moment that had just occurred between them.

Standing by one of the buffet tables by the side, now less in the spotlight than before, she looked at him again.

“Open your mouth,” he said.

“Ahhh,” she said and chuckled, before he lifted his hand and put a spoon full of pudding into her mouth, his eyes focusing on her mouth while she licked the spoon clean.

“Still good?” he smiled softly.

“Yes, the pudding is still good,” she said, locking eyes with him. “Now give me the spoon.”

When she lifted the spoon from the little glass bowl, she noticed him bow down a little to meet her. Closing his lips around the spoon, she could see his tongue moving inside his mouth and could not stop herself from staring. Trying to compose herself and not think of what else that tongue might be able to do in fear of someone noticing the way she was looking at him at this point, she took a deep breath. “Do you think that people here think we are a couple?”

“I don’t know,” he smiled. “I don’t know any of these people well enough for that.”

She smiled and looked at her shoes, thinking about how strange the whole situation was.

“Do you think it’s too early for us to leave?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you hania for the beta <3  
> I hope you all enjoyed it!


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